National title talk from fans, red high-heeled shoes... and other stuff!

Remember last year in Oxford? Ole Miss receiver Shay Hodge caught the ball over Lionel Mitchell, seemingly giving the Rebels a chance for the win... only to have it overturned by the officials. The result was a crazy, 27-24 win for the Crimson Tide.

And did I mention I almost got pelted with garbage, since I was near the players on the sidelines? Not good times. No one wants to get drilled by a monster bottle of Beefeater Gin. Ah... memories.

Let's get to the notes:

*****Everywhere they go, Alabama players are hearing about where they stand among the college football elite. Fans inform them of their task to stay in the national title race.

"I really motivated myself because I didn't deserve any respect or attention," Coffee said. "What you do ... dictates how people think about you. I knew it was on my shoulders to do that."

In a 2007 season hampered by a four-game suspension and an injury, he gained just 545 yards in nine games. "I knew that I had potential to do better," he said.

*****CBS decided to use its six-day option for the Alabama-Tennessee game on Oct. 25, meaning the kickoff time won't be announced until Sunday. The network is also considering Georgia-LSU. One game will be on CBS at 2:30 p.m. and the other will be on ESPN at 6:45 p.m.

*****Left tackle Andre Smith, who missed the bye week with an illness, returned to practice full-speed. "Everybody is healthy," Saban said, "so everybody is ready to go."

*****With the Rebels looming Saturday, players could not help but be drawn back to last year's controversial, 27-24 win in Oxford, Miss., that was decided by an overturned instant replay call. The official review led fans to throw objects onto the field.

"There were girls shoes on the field," quarterback John Parker Wilson said. "It looked like high heels. I couldn't believe it. We've had stuff thrown at us, but not shoes."